Sunny Deol’s Suryaa: Ant Se Aarambh Tak, which is due to release in theatres on November 20, has run into a legal hurdle after the release of its teaser. A group of doctors approached the Delhi High Court and have claimed in their petition that Suryaa shows private hospital doctors negatively. Furthermore, they allege that the film’s content could encourage violence against those in the health care profession. The Delhi Court has acted upon their petition and sought a response from the Centre, the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) and the makers of the Hindi film. The matter will be taken up by the court on November 16.
Delhi HC’s notice to CBFC, Centre and Suryaa producers
According to a report in The Print, Justice Amit Mahajan has sought a response by sending notices to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, the CBFC, and the film’s producers MM Moviez and Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited. The petition was filed by four doctors from Delhi, Dr Nishant Soni, Dr Ashish Tomar, Dr Ravi Bhatia and Dr Shivam Vatsal who work in different corporate hospitals. Their advocate Varun Singh asked the court to take down that was being streamed online.
Sunny Deol in Suryaa. (Credit: Instagram)
The report also reveals that office bearers of D.O.C.S (Doctors of Corporate Society) are also part of the plea. The petitioners have stated that they filed the plea upon the “inaction of authorities”. They feel that Suryaa shows the medical profession in a negative light that could lead to consequences in the real world. The also believe that the safety of healthcare workers is a big issue, as angry relatives take out their ire and sometimes attack them.
The teaser of Suryaa states that the Hindi feature is “inspired by unbelievable true events” and says it will present the “shocking truth” about the medical system. While the story of Suryaa is fictional, the petitioners feel that the audience could be led to think it is real, causing mistrust towards doctors and hospitals. They want the film’s subject to undergo a wider review with the authorities coming under the Cinematograph Act and the Information Technology Act to check it out. Finally, they want a disclaimer with the promotional material, stating that it is not real. Earlier, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) had also called for a review of the film and written to Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.
More about Suryaa
Director M. Padmakumar is making his Bollywood debut with the Hindi remake of the Malayalam film Joseph (2018). It was also remade in Tamil, Telugu and Kannada. The ensemble cast includes Ravi Kishan, Saumya Tandon, Manish Wadhwa, Jisshu Sengupta, Pragya Jaisal, and Tinnu Anand.